The London Underground was proposed by Charles Pearson, a city solicitor, as part of a city improvement plan shortly after the opening of the Thames Tunnel in 1843. After 10 years of discussion, Parliament authorized the construction of 3.75 miles (6 km) of underground railway between Farringdon Street and Bishop’s Road, Paddington. Work on the Metropolitan Railway began in 1860 by cut-and-cover methods—that is, by making trenches along the streets, giving them brick sides, providing girders or a brick arch for the roof, and then restoring the roadway on top. On Jan. 10, 1863, the line was opened, using steam locomotives that burned coke and, later, coal. Despite sulfurous fumes, the line was a success from its opening, carrying 9.5 million passengers in the first year of its existence.

In 1866 the City of London and Southwark Subway Company (later the City and South London Railway) began work on the “tube” line, using a tunneling shield developed by J.H. Greathead. The tunnels were driven at a depth sufficient to avoid interference with building foundations or public utility works, and there was no disruption of street traffic. The original plan called for cable operation, but electric traction was substituted before the line was opened. Operation began on this first electric underground railway in 1890 with a uniform fare of twopence for any journey on the 3-mile (5-km) line. In 1900 Charles Tyson Yerkes, an American railway magnate, arrived in London, and he was subsequently responsible for the construction of more tube railways and for the electrification of the cut-and-cover lines. The London Underground name first appeared in 1908. Stations functioned as air-raid shelters during World Wars I and II, with the tunnels of the unused Aldwych spur line housing artifacts from the British Museum.

Workers excavating a “tube” for the London Underground with the help of a tunneling shield, c. 1900.Mary Evans Picture Library

The London Underground was nationalized in 1948 under the auspices of the London Transport Executive. Over the next half century, new lines were constructed, steam locomotives were completely replaced by electric ones, and new safety measures were introduced (including an automated announcement warning passengers to “mind the gap” between the train and the platform). In 2003 management of the Underground passed to Transport for London, a public entity that provides the Underground with human resources, such as conductors and station personnel. As part of a partnership scheme with the private sector, outside companies maintain the physical infrastructure of the Underground, including the stations, tracks, and railcars.

By the beginning of the 21st century, the London Underground served more than one billion passengers per year, with approximately 250 miles (400 km) of track connecting some 270 stations. As part of its ongoing upgrading of its rolling stock, the Underground introduced its first air-conditioned cars in 2010.